• Nonprofits
  • Corporate
  • Volunteers
  • Resources
  • Case Studies
  • Blog
  • About

Fear, Money, Death and Happiness

A woman smiling.
Oct 20th, 2008 Social Impact

I bought a copy of The Science of Fear at the MIT student book store recently. The basic premise is that we have both healthy and unhealthy relationships with our fear.

For example, after 9/11 people were scared to fly, and, consequently, there was a spike in driving. That spike created more casualties than any caused by flying or terrorism. In this case, fear changed behavior, which in turn created more deaths than the original source of the fear.

Despite this evidence, politicians and the media still sell this fear to get votes and viewership. Fear is effective at achieving these ends–even at a cost to the broader society.

This is nothing new. Michael Moore made an entire movie on the topic.

I also recently read about the happiness index and the related work at Stanford, which showed that after earning $40k, money is no longer a driver of happiness for individuals. In a rare case of positive media coverage, this finding was mentioned in the news to put the drop in the DOW in perspective.

Combined, these two pieces got me thinking about the metrics we should track as a society. Happiness and death rates (and associated causes) seem to top the list. GDP and household income seem pretty irrelevant unless you are looking to diagnose causes of death or unhappiness. For example, tracking the percentage of households with under $40k in income is only significant because they may be subject to money-related unhappiness.

What would you include in a society dashboard?

If you’re interested in how you can support your community, join our community of passionate individuals give their time to drive social change.
Honoring the origins of the pro bono movement in the fight for civil rights
Jan 12th, 2023 Social Impact, Volunteer Consulting

How Martin Luther King Jr. Inspired the Pro Bono Movement

Battling for civil rights through pro bono service On Monday, January 16, America celebrates Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a...

Celebrate Black History Month
Feb 6th, 2023 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Social Impact, Volunteer Consulting

Make a Difference in Black History Month

Since 1976, our country has celebrated Black History Month in February to recognize the contributions of Black Americans to our...

Let’s stay in touch

Sign up to receive news and updates about pro bono service.

Join
    • Nonprofits
    • Corporate
    • Volunteers
    • Philanthropy Through Taproot
    • Resources
    • Case Studies
    • Blog
    • Press
    • About
    • Taproot Plus
    • Events
    • Supporters
    • Donate
    • Careers
    • Contact us
    • FAQs

Enabling a world where social good organizations have the resources they need to fulfill their missions.

2023 Taproot FoundationTerms Privacy